Phys.org: Phys.org news tagged with: potato plantshttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.Save Our Spuds: Scientists find shield for potato blight Scientists on Monday said they have found a gene to help protect potatoes from a blight that unleashed a devastating famine in Ireland in the 19th century.http://phys.org/news346937901.html
BiologyMon, 30 Mar 2015 12:38:31 EDTnews346937901Fighting the Colorado potato beetle with RNA interferenceColorado potato beetles are a dreaded pest of potatoes all over the world. Since they do not have natural enemies in most potato producing regions, farmers try to control them with pesticides. However, this strategy is often ineffective because the pest has developed resistances against nearly all insecticides. Now, scientists from the Max Planck Institutes of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and Chemical Ecology in Jena have shown that potato plants can be protected from herbivory using RNA interference (RNAi). They genetically modified plants to enable their chloroplasts to accumulate double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeted against essential beetle genes.http://phys.org/news344175912.html
BiologyThu, 26 Feb 2015 14:00:07 EDTnews344175912Researchers develop new potato cultivarDakota Ruby is the name of a new potato cultivar developed by the NDSU potato breeding project and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Dakota Ruby has bright red skin, stores well and is intended for the fresh market. http://phys.org/news341826905.html
BiologyFri, 30 Jan 2015 08:50:01 EDTnews341826905Gene responsible for cholesterol production could lead to potatoes with lower toxin levelsIn many parts of the world, potatoes are a reliable dietary staple. However, potato plants also produce the toxins solanine and chaconine, which can protect growing sprouts from potential predators such as insects and fungi. These toxins, known as steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), occur at very low levels in the edible tubers, but their levels in green skin and sprouts can be highly poisonous and even deadly to humans.http://phys.org/news335782804.html
BiologyFri, 21 Nov 2014 09:40:02 EDTnews335782804Pest attacks can lead to bigger crop yields(Phys.org) —Most farmers fight a constant battle against damaging insects. In a plant science version of "keep your friends close but your enemies closer," Cornell researchers are working with a common potato pest to see if they can activate the natural defenses of potato plants by managing the bugs, rather than eradicating them.http://phys.org/news322898416.html
BiologyWed, 25 Jun 2014 07:10:03 EDTnews322898416Microbes help beetles defeat plant defensesSome symbiotic bacteria living inside Colorado potato beetles can trick plants into reacting to a microbial attack rather than that of a chewing herbivore, according to a team of Penn State researchers who found that the beetles with bacteria were healthier and grew better.http://phys.org/news297966902.html
BiologyMon, 09 Sep 2013 17:36:23 EDTnews297966902Chemical trickery explored to help contain potato pestIf left unchecked, the pale cyst nematode burrows into potato roots to feed, obstructing nutrients and causing stunted growth, wilted leaves and other symptoms that can eventually kill the plant. Now USDA and cooperating scientists are evaluating new ways to control the pest using naturally occurring chemicals called egg-hatching factors.http://phys.org/news282824749.html
BiologyMon, 18 Mar 2013 11:25:55 EDTnews282824749Discovery of genetic mechanism allowing potato cultivation in northern latitudes(Phys.org) —An international team of scientists headed by Wageningen University, The Netherlands, has discovered a genetic mechanism which allows potato plants to develop tubers during the long days of spring and summer in northern latitudes. Wild potatoes, which originate in the Andes of South America, were brought to Europe by Spanish sailors in the late 16th century. Naturally occurring near the Equator, Andean potatoes develop tubers on days which are relatively shorter than those in high latitude summer.http://phys.org/news281799547.html
BiologyWed, 06 Mar 2013 13:39:17 EDTnews281799547Scientists identify genetic mechanism that contributed to Irish FamineWhen a pathogen attacks a plant, infection usually follows after the plant's immune system is compromised. A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside focused on Phytophthora, the pathogen that triggered the Irish Famine of the 19th century by infecting potato plants, and deciphered how it succeeded in crippling the plant's immune system.http://phys.org/news279395467.html
BiologyWed, 06 Feb 2013 17:51:18 EDTnews279395467Gene suppression can reduce cold-induced sweetening in potatoes(Phys.org)—Preventing activity of a key enzyme in potatoes could help boost potato quality by putting an end to cold-induced sweetening, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.http://phys.org/news269524517.html
BiologyMon, 15 Oct 2012 12:55:23 EDTnews269524517Not-so-sweet potato from Clemson University, USDA resists pests, diseaseScientists from Clemson University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have developed a new variety of not-so-sweet potato, called Liberty.http://phys.org/news227888301.html
BiologyTue, 21 Jun 2011 15:18:31 EDTnews227888301Bioscience researchers defeating potato blightResearchers funded by the BBSRC Crop Science Initiative have made a discovery that could instigate a paradigm shift in breeding resistance to late blight &#150; a devastating disease of potatoes and tomatoes costing the industry $5-6 billion a year worldwide. They will share this research with industry at an event in London later today (18 November).http://phys.org/news209298270.html
BiologyThu, 18 Nov 2010 10:24:43 EDTnews209298270